The Historical Procedure of Recognizing Meccan and Medinite Verses

The knowledge of being meccan or medinite concerning the chapters and
verses of the Quran has a significant role in the correct interpretation of this
holy book. Therefore, in order to indentify this aspect of the verses, scholars
have showed much effort in different ways, all through centuries since early
islam till now. At the beginning, the Companions were questioned about it;
later on, their sayings and that of the Successors took the form of hadith with
different classifications: some expressing rules for recognition of these kind of
verses; a variety of them specifying particular cases; others indicating the
chronology of revelation and a number of them stating the cause of
revelation. These traditions have become the main proofs for this kind of
classification of verses and chapters. During the long scholastic history of this
study, from the time of the Companions till the last two centuries, the efforts
for recognition of the meccan and medinite verses can be classified in the
following three approaches:
1. Based on hadiths ;as the main proof which usually on the time of
contradictory traditions ended to both exclusion of numerous verses from the
whole chapter and belief in re-descendent of the verse or chapter or its
revelation in the road between Mecca and Medina;
2. Based on identifying rules, the result of which has been few rules regarding
the subject of the meccan and medinite verses;
3. Based on form and content of verses which has been usually depending on
the subject of the traditions concerning the cause of revelation and not the
proper verses.
In the two recent centuries new approaches can be seen employing different
data including: statistical details about verses and chapters; style, tone and
length of verses and the content of the verses. These recent scholars have
given new solutions to the problem of contradictory traditions without
accepting re-descendent of verses or its exclusion from the whole chapter.
Consequently to reach a proper method ,with least error, all the clues and
evidences should be taken into consideration.